Courses

NURS 5121. Adv Health Assessm. Practicum.

This course is designed to extend and refine the assessment skills of the Registered Nurse in preparation for an advanced clinical practice. The student will complete a 45 hour clinical practicum to learn to perform physical, developmental, mental, emotional, cultural, social, and family assessments. Students are required to take Nursing 5220 Advanced Health Assessment either concurrently or as a prerequisite.

Pediatric IA The graduate level nursing course focuses on the assesment, diagnosis, and evidence-based management of well children and stable pediatric illness in primary care settings within the context of family, environment, and culture.

Pediatrics IB This is a continuation of the graduate level nursing course that focuses on the asssesment, diagnosis, and evidence- based management of well children and stable pediatric illness in primary care settings whithin the context of family, environment, and culture.

This course is designed to extend and refine the assessment skills of the Registered Nurse in preparation for an advanced clinical practice. The student will learn to perform physical, developmental, mental, emotional, cultural, social, and family assessments. Students will review anatomy and physiology related to each biological system being studied. The course emphasizes in-depth techniques for assessing each body system in individuals throughout the life span. Material will focus on the use of a variety of health assessment techniques including history taking skills, physical assessment, and other diagnostic assessment tools. Students are required to take Nursing 5121 Advanced Assessment Practicum (45 hours) either concurrently or upon completion of this course.

This course is designed to assist students in the development of evidence-based diagnostic and clinical decision making techniques. Through the use of case studies students will utilize evidence-based approaches to derive diagnoses and treatments.

This course utilizes a chronic illness management model to optimize health of adults. The course addresses health promotion and disease prevention practices. Emphasis is on the management of common acute and chronic conditions in adults.

This is a clinical practicum course; the student will apply didactic content of N5230 FNP Adult Health. The student will work side by side with a Clinical Preceptor(s), in community-based settings pre-approved by a faculty advisor. A total of 90 or more clinical hours are required to demonstrate competency.

This course utilizes a chronic illness management model to optimize health of older adults. The course addresses health promotion and disease prevention practices and end of life care. Emphasis is on the management of common acute and chronic conditions in older adults.

This is a clinical practicum course; the student will apply didactic content of N5236 FNP Geriatric Health. The student will work side by side with a Clinical Preceptor(s), in community-based settings pre-approved by a faculty advisor. A total of 90 or more clinical hours are required to demonstrate competency.

This graduate level nursing course focuses on the assessment, diagnosis, and evidence-based management of pediatric illnesses in primary care settings within the context of family, environment, and culture. Common primary care illnesses and well child assessments will be covered.

This course focuses on health and illness of women in primary care setting. Emphasis is placed on the assessment and management of women including health care strategies for health promotion and disease prevention.

This is a clinical practicum course; the student will apply didactic content of N5244 FNP Women's Health. The student will work side by side with a Clinical Preceptor(s), in community-based settings pre-approved by a faculty advisor. A total of 90 or more clinical hours are required to demonstrate competency.

PNP Advanced Diagnosis and Skills This graduate level nursing course focuses on the development of evidence-based clinical reasoning to select the appropriate diagnosis tests based upon patient presentation. This course will also facilitate the interpretation of test results and the development of the clinical skill set necessary for a pediatric nurse practitioner. This course has a required lab component.

Pediatrics Practicum IA This Pediatric Nurse Practitioner practicum focuses on the synthesis and application of knowledge of common assessment, diagnosis, and evidence-based management strategies of well children and stable pediatric illness in primary care settings within the context of family, environment, and culture. A total of 90 or more clinical hours are required to demosntrate competency.

Pediatrics Practicum IB This is a continuation of the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner practicum that focuses on the synthesis and application of knowledge of common assessment, diagnosis, and evidence- based management strategies of stable pediatric illness in primary care settings within the context of family, environment, and culture. A total of 90 or more clinical hours are required to demonstrate competency.

Pediatrics IIB This is a continuation of the graduate level nursing course that focuses on the assessment, diagnosis, and evidence- based management of stable chronic pediatric illness within the context of family, environment, and culture.

Pediatrics Practicum IIA This Pediatric Nurse Practitioner practicum focuses on the synthesis and application of knowledge of common assessment, diagnosis, and evidence-based management strategies of stable chronic pediatric illness within the context of family, environment, and culture. A total of 90 hours or more of clinical hours are required to demonstrate competency.

Pediatrics Practicum IIB This is a continuation of the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner practicum that focuses on the synthesis and application of knowledge of common assesment, diagnosis, and evidence- based management strategies of stable chronic pediatric illness within the context of family, environment, and culture. A total of 90 or more clinical hours are required to demonstrate competency.

This course focuses on the multifaceted roles of the professional nurse in advanced practice in a variety of clinical settings. The distinct and emerging roles of the clinical nurse specialist and the nurse practitioner are examined along with the legal and ethical implications of advanced practice.

Organizational Theory and Culture in Health Care (3-0) Students examine the theoretical and cultural foundations of health care organizational behavior through the application of management, leadership, and nursing theory. Using group work to emphasize course concepts, students work to create a hypothetical theory based healthcare organization.

Advanced Health Assessment (2.5-0-1.5) Didactic and Clinical Experiences that provide students with the knowledge and skills for performing a comprehensive assessment. Obained data will be used to make a diagnosis of health status leading to the formulation of a clinical management plan. Includes Practicum.

Communications and Conflict Management for Nurse Managers and Administrators Students will focus on communications within nursing and health care management to include writing professional memos , reports, email communications, and social media usage in the professional environment. Also addressed will be negotiation techniques and conflict management.

Nursing Theory This course provides an introduction to the nature of scientific explanation and inquiry related to the nursing discipline. Nursing theory will be examined as the integral foundation of nursing practice and research.

Examines the processes involved in and manifestations of altered physiological functioning across the lifespan. Builds on knowledge of basic physiologic and pathophysiologic processes and is foundational to advanced practice nursing roles.

This course focuses on alternative healing methods for personal or professional use. Participants will explore similarities among different modalities and identify ways to incorporate methods into professional practice based on the values and beliefs of individual patients/clients. Students must obtain advisor approval to apply this course towards specific degree requirements.

Nursing Administration Roles and Operations Based on current standards for nursing administration and evidence based practice, students will focus on various nursing administration roles and their related functions. This course includes an observational experience in which students analyze the role of a senior nursing administrative officer in a health care organization.

Financial Management for Nurse Manager and Administrators I Students are introduced to basic financial and accounting terms and processes that affect the nurse manager. As well as an introduction to healthcare reimbursement and the manager's role in understanding its financial impact.

Health Policy and Advocacy The purpose of this course is to analyze the foundations of healthcare policy, the structure of healthcare systems, and the environments that have an impact on nursing practice and population health. The relationship between social determinants of health and socio-political structure to health outcomes is emphasized.

Nursing Management Residency Working with a nursing management or leadership mentor, students synthesize knowledge from previous courses to identify a systems level nursing management issue within a health care agency and work to develop and implement an evidence based solution. Students also reflect on the NSM program as a whole in relation to national standards for nursing administration and personal growth and development. 90 mentored residency hours.

Financial Management for Nurse Managers & Administrators II Students are introduced to Productivity analysis, care delivery models, staffing mix analysis, FTE management and the capital budgeting process and analysis. Students will also be introduced to variance analysis and resporting.

Examines issues and challenges in border health care with special reference to the U.S.-Mexico border. Social, cultural, political and economic factors are explored and analyzed in relation to the role of nursing, health care delivery and policy formulation along the border. Community-based and other innovative and indigenous health care strategies and programs are critically evaluated using appropriate research approaches.

This graduate level nursing course is the clinical component of Nursing 5657. Students focus on the assessment and management of acute, critical, and/or chronic health conditions or problems of children and adolescents within the context of various intensive care settings with an emphasis on stabilization, minimization of physical and psychological complications and maximization of the patient's health potential.

Managing Quality in Nursing Practice Performance and outcome standards used by industry, regulatory and accreditation bodies are applied to quality/performance improvement in nursing practice settings. Evidence-based practice and the relationship of quality/performance to cost are core themes. Students focus on measurement and management of outcomes through development of a nursing-based performance improvement project proposal.

Managing Diverse Work Teams in Nursing Settings Students focus on human resources management in nursing and health care settings with an emphasis on managing diversity in recruiting, interviewing, evaluating, and promoting staff . Employment law and regulations are integrated throughout the course.

Focus is on managing complex healthcare problems along the border through the development of evidence- based diagnostic and clinical decision-making skills. Participants evaluate use of advanced diagnostic techniques in terms of best evidence, client values/beliefs, available resources, and clinical expertise.

Provides the opportunity to integrate new learning and develop proficiency in a focused area of clinical nursing practice. This is an opportunity for the student to focus on a population of interest or focus on a specific role within framework of mentored supervised experiences.

Nursing Research Appraisal and Application This course provides the student with foundational knowledge and skill to examine multiple sources of evidence from nursing and related fields as a basis for evidence- based practice. The focus is on evidence critique and synthesis of findings to address specific nursing practice questions or problems.

Designed for the application, demonstration, and synthesis of theory and competencies related to the role of nurse educator. Learning experiences are planned to meet individual learning goals within the framework of mentored supervised experiences.

Pediatrics Advanced Practicum A Part of the Advanced Practicum course integrates the biomedical, psychological, and social elements of nurse practitioner practice. Under the supervision of an experienced preceptor, students will provide in-depth, advanced practice nursing care to children and adolescents with complex health problems. There is an emphasis on integrating current nursing and biomedical research evidence into the clinical emphasis on integrating current nursing and biomedical research evidence into the clinical decision- making process. Professional issues relevant to nurse practitioners will be explored.

Pediatrics Advanced Practicum B Part B of the Advanced Practicum course continues to integrate the bioemedical, psychological, and social elements of nurse practitioner practice. Under the supervision of an experienced preceptor, students will provide in-depth, advanced practice nursing care to children and adolescents with complex health problems. There is an emphasis on integrating current nursing and biomedical research evidence into the clinical decision-making process. Professional issues relevant to nurse practitioners will be explored.

Focuses on the recognition, management, and evaluation of common health conditions from birth through young adulthood. The impact of culture and child development, parenting styles, and family healthcare practices as well as strategies for health promotion and disease prevention are covered.

This graduate level nursing practicum focuses on the synthesis and application of knowledge of common assessment, diagnosis, and evidence-based management strategies of pediatric illnesses in primary care settings within the context of family, environment, and culture.

The course focuses on stabilization of adults with acute or traumatic health conditions and exacerbations of complex, chronic illness. Participants formulate a plan of care and implement interventions to support the patient with a rapid deterioration in physiological conditions, including the application of basic and advanced life support and other invasive procedures to regain physiologic stability. In addition, participants manage patient and family response to life support strategies to optimize outcomes.

Application of synthesis of learning for advanced practice role across settings with diverse populations. Students are placed in clinical settings essential to meeting competencies specific to the Nurse Practitioner major. 180 clinical hours or more as needed to demonstrate competency.

This online course meets the required 75 contact hours of didactic content for Alternative Eligibility for Gerontological Nurse Practitioner (GNP) Certification established by the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC). Family, Adult, and Acute Care Nurse Practitioners who take this course and meet the practice requirements listed by the ANCC will be eligible to take the ANCC certification examination for GNP. Course content follows the specific guidelines for this alternative GNP certification process determined by the ANCC.

Utilize chronic illness management model to optimize health of adults and older adults. Emphasis is on the management of common acute and chronic conditions in this age group, as well as issues related to end of life care.

This graduate level nursing course focuses on the assessment and management of complex acute, critical, and chronic health conditions or problems of children and adolescents within the context of the family and crisis situations in various intensive care settings. Emphasis will be on interventions for patient stabilization, minimization of complications, promoting physical and psychological well being, restoring maximal health potential, and evaluating for risk factors in achieving these outcomes.

The focus is the assessment and management of chronic health conditions or problems of children and adolescents within the context of the family and community with an emphasis on stabilization and minimization of physical and psychological complications and maximization of the patient's health potential.

Application of synthesis of learning for advanced-practice role across settings with diverse populations. Students are placed into clinical settings essential to meeting competencies specific to the Nurse Practitioner major. 270 clinical hours or more as required to demonstrate competency.

This course focuses on the overall components of the individual student's completed capstone project development. It includes writing for publication and preliminary development of the plan and methodology.

The course will address all aspects of project planning and development as a preliminary step to the students' selection of a topic or phenomenon of interest for the doctoral synthesis project that will incorporate well-built questions search strategies and outcomes, identification of resources needed, plan for evaluation and dissemination.

This foundational course focuses on analyzing DNP competencies, roles and scholarship within the clinical practice doctorate. The theoretical basis for practice, including nursing and related theories, is explored and the major concepts of evidence-based practice for individuals and populations, leadership, inquiry, innovation change, interprofessional collaboration/teams, and evaluation are critically analyzed as fundamental components of DNP practice. Health informatics as an integral component of evidence-based practice is discussed. Practice inquiry is analyzed as a means to guide science based practice.

The course covers informatics in health care delivery and is designed to be multi-disciplinary in nature and will provide a broad overview of the clinical aspects of information technology, focusing on hardware, software and conceptual models of information. Exploration and evaluation of different data types and models, both discipline specific and interdisciplinary in nature, will be covered.

This course focuses on alternative healing methods for personal or professional use. Participants will explore similarities among different modelities and identify ways to incorporate methods into professional practice based on the values and beliefs of individual patients/clients.

The course focuses on the dynamic and complex health care system and imperatives to deliver quality health care through clinical initiatives based on evidence-based practice, industry standards, key outcome indicators, and cost-quality directives. Organizational change, innovations, system leadership, organizational culture, business and finance, communications, marketing, models of performance improvement, and evaluation are addressed. The role of interprofessional practice and collaboration within teams is examined to analyze contributes to quality outcomes.

The course focuses on the ethical analysis of complex patient care dilemmas and use of ethical framework in the analysis, design, implementation, and evaluation of policies related to healthcare, financing, practice regulation, assessment, patient safety, quality and efficacy. The policy process, both ideal and practical, will be examined. Examination of how health policy legislation is developed and evolves, including analysis of intended and unintended consequences and discussion of current health care paradigm, health care reforms, and current events and issues will be covered.

The focus of this course will be on human genetic and gene abnormalities and the incorporation of sequence-based health care within evidence-based practice. The course will incorporate new information from the Human Genome Project (HGP), as well as the history and evolution of genetic counseling and the ethical and legal issues that arise daily in these rapidly changing fields.

This course provides the opportunity to acquire knowledge and skill in evidence based practice that will asisst in moving clinical practice to an evidence-based foundation and provides the essential principles, skills, and tools of evidence-based nursing practice. Special emphasis will focus on formulating a question, searching/appraising the literature/evidence, and use of the best evidence. Methods of assessing results relative to interventions, harm, diagnosis, prognosis, and risk and differentiation between evidence-based practice, quality improvement, and research utilization will be presented.

Use of current concepts of public health, evidence-based recommendations for health promotion and disease prevention, cultural and socioeconomic determinants of health, and cultural diversity and sensitivity to guide D.N.P. practice. Participants will analyse epidemiological, biostatistical, occupational and evironmental data to develop, implement, and evaluate clinical prevention and population health along the U.S.-Mexico border.

Focus is on managing complex healthcare problems along the border through the development of evidence-based diagnostic and clinical decision-making skills. Participants evaluate use of advanced diagnostic techniques in terms of best evidence, client values/beliefs, available resources, and clinical expertise.

Students with guidance/mentoring by DNP faculty & community mentors, will synthesize, integrate, and translate knowledge/skills into evidence-based management of health disparities common to U.S.-Mexico border populations. Focus will be on aging populations along the border or complex, chronic health needs of individuals of any age with mental illness, chronic pain, diabetes, hypertension, pulmonary conditions, or infectious disease and the coordination of care across settings. Seminars will guide the process of designing, implementing, and evaluating therapeutic, cost- effective interventions for a culturally diverse population. Includes 90 clock hours of practicum experience.

Capstone Practicum (0-0-8). This is the culminating clinical practicum course designated to provide participants with the opportunity to synthesize and integrate the knowledge they have acquired in advanced practice settings. In consultation with faculty and community mentors, students will select an area of clinical practice and implement advanced clinical decision-making in the provision of culturally appropriate, patient-center, evidence-based care. Students will develop case presentations from their experiences. Includes 360 clock hours of practicum experience.